T-Mobile vows to cover 300M people with LTE next year

The company said on Tuesday that its 4G LTE network covers 260 million people and it plans to cover 300 million people by the end of the year. In comparison AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the nation's two largest carriers, both reach more than 300 million people with their own 4G LTE networks.

In the battle for wireless supremacy, strong coverage -- or even the reputation for strong coverage -- is paramount to winning and keeping customers. While Verizon and AT&T jumped out to a large lead with their 4G networks essentially done, T-Mobile has steadily gained ground and rebuilt the perception of its network.

"We've come a long way this year," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer of T-Mobile.

The Bellevue, Wash., wireless carrier has greatly improved its coverage in major cities and densely populated areas, but it still has a ways to go before it reaches parity with the larger carriers. In less populated areas, T-Mobile's coverage often lags, and the network is particularly weak inside buildings, a result of the kind of spectrum it employs.